Salvation
by Kat56
Summary: During the first war decisions were made, trust was broken and friendships ended. Nine years after the death of her husband Lily hears murmurs of Voldemort's return. In an effort to protect her son Lily must enlist the help of an old ally. But, can he forgive her? Loosely based on CBS' Salvation. Obviously, everything you recognize isn't mine.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

 _A/n: This story is an AU and as such many of the characters may behave differently then the way they did in cannon. I do not character bash, I firmly stand behind my interpretations of these characters. They may act differently, but that is because circumstances have changed. I truly believe that all of my characters behave in a way that is true to their personalities. Does this mean you are all going to agree with me 100% of the time? No, we all interpret things differently so feel free to disagree._

It was the middle of April and a tall man clad in a leather jacket sopping wet stood in front of an imposing house. This was the last place he ever expected to be, but desperate times cause for desperate measures. And he Sirius Black was indeed desperate. He took a deep breather and knocked on the door. The door swung open almost immediately and Sirius stared down the wretched house elf that had made Sirius' childhood miserable.

"Master Sirius, what brings you to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black?" the elf asked in a very obviously forced formal tone.

"I'm here to see my mother."

"Right this way, Master Sirius. Mistress will be so delighted to see her good for nothing blood traitor son!"

"I could do without the running commentary, Kreacher"

Kreacher led Sirius down the hallway into the parlour. His mother was situated in her usual spot. A lavish high back chair decorated with ornate snakes. His mother claimed that it had once belonged to Medusa, herself.

"If it isn't my eldest back with his tail between his legs" his mother snapped viciously.

"I didn't come back to fight, mother. Regulus is dead! Surely, you've heard that your precious Lord had your favourite son murdered in cold blood!"

"Regulus … dead" she choked.

So, she hadn't know. Sirius knew he had to tread his next words carefully. He'd been very unceremoniously kicked out of the Order. Not officially, obviously but the venom in his former friends eyes had assured him he'd never set foot in the inner circle again.

"I'm fuzzy on the details. All I know is he got in to deep and panicked about what he was being asked to do. Voldemort doesn't take kindly to that sort of thing."

"It was supposed to be you!" she shrieked! Barely raising her wand before all matter of objects were flying towards Sirius at top speed. It was only due to quick reflexes and knowledge of his mother that he was able to stop the spell before anything hit him.

"I'm not the one who encouraged Regulus to join! As a matter of fact I remember telling him he didn't want to do it. But, no you and father had to push him!"

"We wouldn't have had to push him if you had taken your rightful place as heir! Regulus never had what it takes. You could have been his right hand man! You would have survived this! You were always stronger then him."

"Listen to yourself, Mother. The man had your son killed and yet your still loyal! What the hell is a matter with you!"

"The Dark Lord wants to restore the natural order…"

"The natural order! Tell me mother you have the family tree memorized. Where have you ever heard the name Voldemort come up before? Hmm. Use your brain mother. The man you and father bowed to is nothing more the half blood upstart!"

"What?"

"You learn things in the Order. Turns out his real name is Tom Riddle."

"But… he is the heir of Slytherine!"

"His mother was a Gaunt. They've always claimed some sort of connection. Guess they were right."

"Regulus, poor sweet Regulus" she muttered tears falling down her cheek.

Sirius was thrown for a moment. In all his life he had never seen his mother look so vulnerable. Maybe, she did have a heart after all.

"Why are you here?" she croaked.

"You were right. As soon as there was a hint of traitor in the air, everyone blamed the Black. Can't say I blame them. I've been paranoid as fuck too, but I don't know I didn't expect everyone to so quickly decide it was me."

"Potter?"

"No, no James wasn't there. I doubt they even told him. Figured, it was better to step away. I'll find another way to contribute to the war effort."

"That still does not explain why you are here, Sirius."

"I figured, I'd give you the chance to help bring the bastard down. He's destroying our family. How long till Bellatrix and Narcissa are brought to their knees because of him. Plus I figured you'd like having the one-up on the light."

"You mean, you'd take your proper place?"

"If you'd have me. I'm not going dark, Mother. If we do this, we do it my way. But, I can promise you I will bring this house back to it's former glory."

She slowly got out of her chair barely sparing him a glance.

"Where are you going?"

"To retrieve your father's ring."

 _A/n: For anyone wondering the obvious question. Why the family ring is not with Regulus? It will be explained more fully in a later chapter. But, I am of the uncommon opinion that the primary aggressor in the Black household was Orion not Walburga. This is not to say that she was a good mother, but I do think it is telling to note how much more venom Sirius holds for her then his father. The few mentions we get of Orion, Sirius seems mostly indifferent. I just can't see Sirius holding indifference towards a parent that didn't protect him. That is extremely deserving of hate. Abused kids tend to hold a lot of resentment towards parents who don't protect them. Being able to put themselves in the other parents shoes, usually happens after self-reflection and takes a kind of empathy that Sirius doesn't excel at in canon. But I can see him being indifferent to an abusive parent he cared nothing for. Maybe I'm way off base here, but this is where my thought process stems from._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Nine years later

Lily Potter woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside her bedroom window. She rolled over to glance at her alarm clock 8:45. Shit! She must have forgotten to set the alarm and they were due at the Weasley's at 9:30. She wrapped herself in a dressing gown and headed for her son's bedroom.

"Harry, time to wake up sweetie. We are due at the Weasley's in forty five minutes." she said gently nudging the nine, almost ten year old. Green eyes so like her own fluttered open with a groan.

"Five more minutes" he said rolling over.

"And here I thought you'd be excited to see Ron" she waited a hairbreadth of a second for realization to hit and her son was up an running.

It took her a record of forty minutes to get ready. Throwing her red hair into a quick topknot she headed to the fireplace. She was just about to holler at Harry to hurry up as the child came running down the hall. She briefly considered attempting to do something with his hair, but figured it was a waste of time. James' never laid flat either.

"Now, remember Harry speak clearly. The Burrow! You gave that last family quite the shock last time."

"Yes mom" he said blushing slightly as he scooped out a bit of powder. "The Burrow!"

Satisfied that her son, hadn't ended up Merlin knows where Lily followed. A swirl of green smoke surrounding her.

"Lily! I'm so glad you and Harry could make it" she was greeted by the pleasant voice of Molly Weasley as she stepped out of the fireplace.

"So good to see you, Molly" she said hugging the older woman. Molly was quite a bit older then her, but the kindly witch had helped her a great deal after the death of her husband.

"The boys and Arthur are just in the other room listing to merlin knows what on the wireless."

Lily smiled as she followed the other woman into the living room to see six ginger children and Harry listing intently to whatever was playing on the wireless.

"Would you like some tea, dear?"

"That would be lovely" Lily smiled as Molly poured her a cup of tea.

"After this break it is my pleasure to introduce tech pioneer Sirius Black!" said the velvety voice of the host before the smooth tones of the latest Celstina Warbeck hit came over the air.

"I can tell them to turn it off, if it bothers you. I know… while I know theres history there."

"No, no let them have their fun. It was a long time ago, another world really. I wish things hadn't ended how they did. But, war has a funny way of destroying even the closest friendships" she said honestly. She didn't imagine anyone escaped the war with zero regrets. It just happened that her biggest one had made quite a name for himself. She was lost in thought as Warbeck faded out and what could only be a loud applause erupted.

"Thank you, thank you. I'm glad to be here. During the war Death Eaters went by the slogan Magic is Might. They believed that magic makes us superior. I'm here to tell you that is a lie. Magic as wonderful and mystical as it is has made us lazy!" came the unmistakably posh accent that try as might he could never rid himself of. Sirius Black her deceased husband's best friend and partner in crime. A piece of happiness and emotion stability she had ripped from her husband's hands mere months before his untimely death. Their estrangement had not been down to only Lily of course, but Lily couldn't help but think that James may have stood a chance if Sirius had been around. She lived with that guilt everyday. Her emotions must have been playing out on her face because Molly suggested they go to the kitchen. Lily nodded gratefully.

"I'm sorry dear. If I had known that is what they were listing too, I would have sent them upstairs. Bill has a bit of an obsession with the man. His new goal in life is to get a job with Black Inc. The boy spends years working to be a curse breaker and sees one speech from Black and is ready to throw a year of studies away."

"It's fine Molly. I didn't expect to react like that just from hearing his voice. I carved this nice little safe haven for Harry and I, I forget that the rest of the world has moved on. I'm happy Sirius found happiness. I truly am. He's just a constant reminder of everything I did wrong back then" she sighed.

"You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. I'm sure Black bears you no ill will."

"You clearly don't know, Sirius. James was his brother in all but blood, he's Harry's godfather for crying out loud. How can he forgive me, when I can't even forgive myself?" Lily scoffed.

* * *

Sirius Black stepped off the stage to thunderous applause as his ever faithful assistant Gladys Gudgeon handed him a bottle of water.

"Great speech, sir."

"Thanks, Gladys. What is next on the agenda for today?"

"I've cleared your schedule today, sir. I thought you might want to rest before the unveiling tomorrow."

"That is why I love you Gladys!" he said throwing her a smirk which made the blonde witch blush.

"If that's all I'm going to head back to the house."

"It might be a good idea to get to the venue early and do a test run."

"You think of everything. See you tomorrow," he said turning on his heel and apparating to his family home.

Sirius didn't spend much time at Grimmauld Place since his mother's passing. He only returned a few nights a year to ensure the family magic stayed strong. Within seconds Sirius was greeted with the unwelcome presence of his mother's horrid house elf.

"Master received some owl post while he was out. Kreacher has put it in the study. Mr. Malfoy is also waiting for Master in there."

"Why the hell did you let Malfoy into my house?" Sirius growled.

"It is what Mistress would have wanted, Master" replied the elf with a watery stare.

"Go clean… something" Sirius said dismissing the elf with wave of his hand as he headed for the study throwing the door open with an angry shove.

"First, get out of my seat. Second what the hell are you doing in my house, Malfoy?"

The blond wizard gave him a non committal shrug, but did at least switch seats.

"I heard your little speech today. It wasn't that long ago that preaching rubbish like that could get a wizard in trouble."

Sirius didn't even bother saying anything he just removed the legs of the blond wizard's chair with a wordless wave of his wand. The blond wizard sputtered as he got up from the floor.

"Is there a point to your visit or did you just come here to make empty threats?"

"Narcissa has requested your presence at dinner this Saturday."

"Errand boy is a good look for you, Lucius" snarked Sirius.

"One of these days, Black"

"One of these days, what? You and I both know you're a coward unless you have two or three lackeys to back you up."

"I took the liberty of opening some of your mail for you" the blond wizard ignored the taunt clearly thinking he had the upper hand.

"Fancy yourself my new secretary, Lucius?"

"Don't be ridiculous. We are family after all. There was an interesting letter from Remus Lupin in there. Apparently he's been trying to reach you forever. Trouble in paradise?"

"Not, that it's any of your business if Lupin wanted to apologize he should have done it after James' death. An apology nine years later doesn't mean much" snapped Sirius as he lit fire to the letter in question.

"And yet you still insist in fighting for the light. They abandoned you and yet your still trying to gain their favour. You're just like a dog. Crawling back to its master after being kicked."

"As opposed to what you do? There has been no hide or hair of Voldemort in nine years and yet you still jump anytime someone says his name."

"Mark my words, Black the Dark Lord will be back. I'm just bidding my time until he returns. And when he does blood traitors like you will be the first to go."

"Voldemort is dead Lucius. Time to let it go. You lost. James made sure of that."

* * *

Bill Weasley was buzzing. The first time he had seen Sirius Black speak, he had been enthralled. Not only was the man changing the course of the Wizarding World, he was changing the way even purebloods viewed muggles. Bill remembered his childhood friends mocking his father for his muggle obsession. No one was mocking Arthur Weasley now. Five years ago Black Inc. had launched it's first product a magical lightbulb. Sirius and his team had spent years coming up with a way to stop magic from interfering with electricity. At first the only wizards and witches buying the product were muggleborn. But, after a few bold marketing moves the idea caught on like fiendfyre. Soon even the staunchest purebloods couldn't argue that there were just some instances where lumos or a candle weren't practical.

Next up was the GAD. The Global Apparating Device a watch sized device that utilized muggle technology to help wizards pinpoint where they were apparating too. Since the device hit stores in 86 reports of splinching had dropped 75%. Bill's brother Charlie said that they were now using the devices in Apparation classes at Hogwarts.

Bill opened the door to the Leaky Caludron, greeted by the familiar scent of stale alcohol. He scanned the room for his friends. Quickly spotting the in their usual corner table.

"Hey Rowan, Hey Ben" he said pulling up a stool.

"Lo," they replied simultaneously.

"What took you so long? I owled you we were meeting here ages ago" Rowan said before taking a swig of what Bill could only guess was firewhisky.

"The WWN was playing Sirius Black's speech from the Future Summit they were having in Diagon Alley today. Couldn't really tear myself away" Bill smiled slightly embarrassed.

"Damn, I wish I'd know" said Ben.

"You two and your damn crush on the guy. You act like he's some sort of rockstar."

"He pretty much is, Rowan. His book on the integration of muggle tech and magic sold more copies then that ridiculous Gilderoy Lockheart book. It was on the top of the best seller list for a solid six months" yawned Ben.

" And don't act like you wouldn't be awestruck if you met him. The Prophet called him one of the greatest minds of our time" said Bill waspishly. His mother and brothers gave him enough flack for his enthusiasm, he didn't need it from his friend.

"At least if I met the guy I could get more then a stuttered Mr. Black" was Rowan's smooth reply.

"So could I! I plan on working for the guy" sniffed Bill.

"What does Black Inc. need a Curse Breaker for?"

"They work with Spell Craft and Magical Theory it requires many similar skills. Black studied Advanced Magical Theory and Charms after the war but he employs wizards and witches of all different backgrounds. You just have to be able to sell yourself" Bill said gazing around till his eyes landed on a blonde witch sitting at the bar.

"Is that Penny Hayword sitting at the bar?" he said immediately changing the subject.

"Looks like it" said Rowan clearly not interested.

"I'll be right back" Bill said sliding up out of his chair.

"Just like Hogwarts, we are getting ditched for a pretty girl" Ben said in a teasing tone.

"Can you blame me? She's much better looking then you two sods" said Bill with a wink.

He walked up to the bar and slid into the chair next to the witch.

"If it isn't Penny Hayword. Long time no see."

"Bill!" she said with a wide grin giving him a big hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever" she said once sitting down again.

"Since graduation, yeah. How are you? What are you doing?"

"I'm good, I'm really good. I'm at the London Academy for the Healing Arts, and I love it. What about you? Still plotting to be a Curse Breaker at Gringotts?"

"Kind of. Ben Cooper, Rowan Khanna and I all got accepted into Gringotts Curse Breaker training program. Don't get me wrong it's a lot of fun, but I can't help but think I want to have more of an impact then that. Does that sound stupid?"

"No, not at all. I want to make a difference too. That's why I went into Healing."

"Can I?" he said biting his lip. Had her eyes always been that clear blue color? "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Sure"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Lily awoke to the sound of loud pounding on her front door. It was still dark out and Lily's heart was in her throat. She grabbed her wand and slowly approached the front door praying that the commotion hadn't woken Harry up. She stood back two feet and threw the door open with a wave of her wand.

"Remus! You gave me a heart attack. Do you realize what time it is?"

"I'm sorry… sorry. I had nowhere else to go."

There were bags under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Come in, come in. What happened?"

"Lost my job last week. Too much time off. It was only a matter of time. But, my landlord wasn't impressed. He kicked me out."

"Oh, Remus. Why didn't you come to me sooner?" she said shuffling the wizard into a chair and throwing a blanket around him.

"Didn't want to be a burden" he mumbled.

"You're my friend Remus. You could never be a burden."

"I know you believe that Lily I really do. But, ever since I got bitten I was told I would never amount to much. I just want so bad to be able to prove all those people wrong."

"You already are Remus. You graduated with 7 N.E. . Your struggles are down to societal prejudices, not anything you're doing wrong."

"I know it just, it sucks."

"I know, I know," she said rubbing his back soothingly.

"I… I've messaged Sirius a few times now to apologize. He hasn't responded to any of my letters."

"No?" Lily said not really knowing what else to say.

" I didn't really expect him too, but I kind of hoped."

"Well, he always could hold a grudge with the best of them. How he can hold you thinking he was the spy against him, I'll never know. He made his suspicions towards you perfectly clear" Lily spat with venom she didn't really feel. Sirius Black was the last topic she wanted to discuss.

"I highly doubt the suspicion is what he's holding against us," Remus said with a pointed look.

"Can we talk about something else, please?" she begged.

"Doesn't it bother you though? The guilt, I mean. It keeps me awake at night, Lily. You can't tell me you don't have regrets about how we handled that entire thing?"

"Of course I do! This hasn't exactly been a cakewalk for me either, Remus. I tried so hard to write letter after letter to him, but I couldn't find the words. I'd just keep seeing James' face, and remembering how miserable he was those last three months. And when it all came out in the end and I couldn't delude myself that it was for the best anymore, I had to realize that I put that look on his face. He almost went after him you know? He was all packed and ready to go and bring Sirius back. And I …. and I told him" she sobbed.

"I told him that if he did that I'd take Harry and run. I was so convinced I knew what was best. I made him choose between his family and his best friend. There was no competition, obviously. James was a devoted father. But, the choice. Being forced to make that choice broke him. I broke him."

"Lily…" Remus said pulling her on to the couch with him.

"And the worst part is that I can't help but feel it was all for nothing! That we didn't manage to change a damn thing. Voldemort's gone, but at what cost?"

"What are we going to do?" he whispered.

"Live, Remus. It is the only thing we can do. We can't bury ourselves in guilt. What happened, happened and we can't change it. Sirius has moved on with his life. So should we."

"Has he really, though? Jame was his best friend. You can't honestly believe, he could let that go anymore then we have."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Remus. He'd be more likely to hex me then answer any of my letters. If there was a time to make amends, that time has long past."

"Mom, what's going on?"

Lily turned her head to see Harry standing tentatively in the hallway. His hair was wild and he was rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Nothing Harry. Uncle Remus just came for a visit. I forgot he was flying in today." Lily said forcing a pleasant smile on her face.

"Why do you both look so sad?" he asked suspiciously.

"We just miss your father, Harry" Remus smiled sadly hoping that would placate the 10-year-old.

"Come here, Harry," she said gesturing for her son to sit between them. James had died protecting him. Keeping Harry safe for James was the only thing that made sense anymore.

* * *

Bill awoke to something sharp poking the side of his face. He sat up quickly disrupting his bedmate only to realize that it was an owl holding a letter.

"What's going on?" Penny asked still half asleep.

"Rowan and Ben are stranded in Knockturn Alley. Apparently, they're both too drunk to apparate. I should probably go get them" he said getting out of bed and scurrying into his clothes.

"This isn't some elaborate hoax to bail on staying the night is it?"

"No.. no. I've had a crush on you since fourth year. You're amazing. Will do this another time, okay?" he said kissing her before making his way out the door.

"Assholes" he muttered to himself as he apparated. Their drunken handwriting had been hard to decipher but he was pretty sure they hadn't actually told him where in Knockturn Alley they were. Why those idiots thought even venturing down that way was a good idea, he'd never know. But, he figured starting at Borgin and Burke's and making his way down was the most sensible option.

He appeared in front of the foreboding store with a loud pop. The street appeared deserted as he had expected. He was about to start hollering for his friends when he heard sharp whispers. He peeked his head around the corner and saw the dark outline of two figures. One the trembling figure of a short pudgy fellow, the other a tall foreboding figure.

"What did you call me here for, Wormtail? I can't appear to be seen in this area, let alone with a wanted Death Eater. I only narrowly avoided Azkaban" said a drawling voice.

"Things are on the move, Lucius. The Dark Lord is planning his return as we speak!" squeaked the plump man. Bill felt his blood run cold. Voldemort was supposed to be dead. He died in the explosion that took out James Potter.

"What proof do you have of this? If you think I'm sticking my neck out on the line for whispers and rumors?" growled the tall imposing figure.

The other man had called him Lucius. Bill had only heard of one Lucius and that was Lucius Malfoy. He was the head of a prominent wizarding family. Someone everyone expected was a Death Eater but no one could ever prove.

"How's this for proof?" the plump man said rolling up his sleeve and showing the other something on his forearm.

"I'll gather the others. There aren't many of us left, few managed to avoid Azkaban."

"I don't think that will be a problem much longer." both men apparated with a pop.

Bill scrambled away as fast as he could looking for his friends. He managed to find the two of them drunk and laughing their asses off near the end of the alley.

"Guys, we have to go now!" Bill said grabbing the two of them by the arms and giving them no warning before the three of them disappeared with a loud pop.

"What the hell, Bill? We are too drunk to be pulling that shit!" snarled Rowan.

"I can tell get into your flat and stay there!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain. Please, just for your own good" the other two nodded solemnly and disappeared into their flat.

Bill couldn't breathe. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't go to his parents. There was no way they could keep that under wraps from his younger siblings. And in all honesty, what could his parents do about it anyway. His next thought was Dumbledore but there was no way he could get to Hogwarts that easily this time of night. Then the idea hit him! Black was in town. He knew Black usually stayed at his family home well visiting London. Bill just hoped he was right. He concentrated really hard on the address of the Black residence.

The next moment he appeared in front of a large and imposing house snuggled tightly between what appeared to be too muggle houses. He ran up to the house and began pounding as loud as could. The door swung open to reveal a rather mangy looking House Elf.

"Who dares to call upon the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black at this hour?" the elf asked obviously annoyed.

"My name is Bill Weasley and I need to speak with Sirius Black immediately!"

* * *

Sirius threw another draft of his newest idea in the garbage. They needed something bigger, better something that would completely change the face of wizarding Britain. Black Inc. had made waves sure, but so far most of their stuff had just been neat little gadgets designed to make things easier. If he really wanted to make a difference he needed bigger, bolder moves.

"Master there is a very frantic red headed blood traitor at the front door demanding to speak with you."

"Do you know who it is?" Sirius' heart immediately jumped to Lily but Lily appearing at his front door was about as likely as Kreacher referring to her as anything other than a mud blood.

"He says his name is Bill Weasley"

"A Weasley, huh? Send him up."

A few minutes later Kreacher shoved a very distraught looking teenager into the study.

"Kreacher was saying you were demanding to see me?" Sirius asks.

"Yes, sir. My friends were too drunk to apparate and ended up in Knockturn Alley. I went to pick them up and I hear two guys rambling. One… one was named Lucius the other was only referred to as Wormtail" Sirius twitched at the name.

"Wormtail said things were moving. That the Dark Lord was on the move again."

"You're sure that's what you heard?" Sirius said evenly.

"Yes, very sure, sir."

"And Wormtail? You are positive that is what one of the men was called? Was he short, heavier set?"

"Yes"

"Damn!"

"Do you know who it was, sir?"

"Yes. I will explain later. Right now we are going to Hogwarts."

"Will we be able to get in at this hour?"

"Where there is a will there is a way," Sirius said with a wink grabbing a hold of the young man's shoulder as they apparated straight into Hogsmeade.

"That's … that's the Shrieking Shack!" the red-haired teenager stated.

"Very observant Weasley. Follow me"

"But, it's" the teenager protested.

"It's not haunted. It never was, now follow me."

Sirius lead Bill into the Shack, down to the basement and down a long tunnel.

"This is one of Hogwarts' best-kept secrets, Bill. This tunnel comes out directly under the Whomping Willow. If you press this root here. It will immobilize the tree for exactly 30 seconds so we have to be quick"

Sirius pressed to root and pushed the kid out as quickly as he could. They narrowly missed a swinging branch but made it out no worse for wear.

Sirius strolled up with deliberate strides leaving Bill to clamor after him.

He knocked on the castles' large doors.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on… Mr. Black, Mr. Weasley what are you doing here?" a very frazzled looking Minerva McGonagall asked clad in a dressing gown. It looked as if they had woken her up out of a dead sleep.

"I need to speak with Dumbledore. It's urgent or I wouldn't be here."

"This is highly unorthodox Mr. Black"

"I haven't spoken to the man in nine years. I wouldn't be caught dead here if it wasn't important."

"I suppose so," his former professor looked at him regret coloring her features.

"Follow me Mr. Black, Mr. Weasley"

Sirius soon found himself standing in front of the familiar statue that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's Office. McGonagall murmured the password some type of muggle candy and Sirius shoved his young companion up the staircase.

"He's in there?"

"He's in a meeting already."

"At this time of night?"

"You will see when you get there, Mr. Black"

Sirius pushed the kid into the Headmaster's spacious office only to be greeted by three familiar faces and one he didn't know. Dumbledore, Lily, Remus and an again wizard he wasn't acquainted with.

"Sirius! I didn't expect to see you here and with Mr. Weasley. Is there a problem?"

"That depends. I'm hearing some not nice whispers of late"

"There are always whispers, Sirius. Nothing to concern yourself with."

"You see that's what I thought, until tonight. Mr. Weasley here had a run in with two people in Knockturn Alley. Maybe you've heard of them Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew?" Sirius said narrowing grey eyes staring down Dumbledore's calculating blue.

"Peter Pettigrew, you're sure?" Dumbledore said eyes turning to Bill.

"I'm not sure… the other man only called him Wormtail."

"That still doesn't prove anything, Black. Pettigrew has probably heard the same whispers that go around every year" stated the Asian wizard in a calm and collected voice.

"With all due respect. You don't know a damn thing about Pettigrew. Peter wouldn't have come out of hiding if he wasn't sure he'd have a powerful ally backing him up. He knows I'll rip him to shreds if I ever come across the slimy bastard" Sirius said giving pointed looks to his former friends.

"We have no reason to believe these whispers are any more than that whispers," Dumbledore said firmly.

"I don't buy that for a second. But, if that's how you want to play it. I'm calling your bluff. I have an interview tomorrow with the Daily Prophet and I'll them all about it."

"Fine. Your suspicions are correct. If word gets out there will be mass panic and we won't be able to control it. I assure you the Order of the Phoenix has it under control."

"Oh like you did last time. You can't keep toying with people's lives Dumbledore. Did you not learn anything from the last war!" Sirius growled. He was tired of Dumbledore's puppet master manipulations. He allowed himself to be played last time not this time, though.

"Sirius, think of the consequences if word got out. You know first hand how quickly paranoia sets in. Voldemort hasn't made a move yet, we have time to get this under control" said Remus finally breaking his silence.

"Don't you dare sit there and lecture me about the paranoia of war. Do you hear yourself Lupin! Let's sit and wait for Voldemort to make a move. You do realize his first move will be Harry, right!"

"We don't know that for sure. It was James who defeated him last time. For all we know the prophecy is void now" said Lily with confidence she didn't really feel.

"Stop being willfully blind, Lily. Even if the prophecy is void do you really think Voldemort is just going to let that go?"

"Albus, would you and Harold take Bill and give Remus and I a moment alone with Sirius."

"Of course," Dumbledore said ushering the other wizard and the teenager of the office.

"Sirius, Dumbledore is offering Harry every protection possible. We will take care of this. There is no reason for you to even get involved" Lily said as calmly as she could muster.

"No reason! You mean other then me being his Godfather?" Sirius scoffed.

"You hardly know him!" Lily bit back.

"And whose fault is that!" Sirius roared.

"I don't remember holding a wand to your throat telling you that I'd kill you if you ever came near me again!"

"Sirius, I'm sorry. We thought we were doing the right thing. You can't blame us, it isn't like you weren't making accusations left and right."

"You think I care about that! Had either of you wrote to me after if it all happened. I would have forgiven you in a heartbeat. Instead, I had to wait nine years to hear anything from either of you. Do you have any idea what it was like to hear about James' funeral on the radio! He was my brother!" yelled Sirius all the rage of the past nine years coming to a head.

"You're right. I'm sorry, okay. I was a coward. I had just lost my husband and the idea of going down that road with you was too much to bear. I had enough guilt. I didn't need you adding to it" Lily retorted bitterly.

"Fuck you! Fuck you and your martyr complex Evans! You were not the only one who lost him. And I deserved to be there. I deserved the chance to say goodbye!"

* * *

A/n: Just a note here. I don't hate Lily or Remus. War does awful things to people and I don't believe they did any of these things with intentional malice. They were put into an awful situation and as a result, made some pretty awful decisions.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Bill couldn't help but think he'd missed out on something important. He stood outside the Headmaster's office trying to glimmer a slight idea of what was going on by Dumbledore's murmurs to the Asian wizard and the shouts that periodically came from inside the Headmaster's office.

Bill had been fairly young when the war against You Know Who in earnest. He had only been eleven when You Know Who had been in killed in the explosion that also claimed the life of war hero James Potter. His mother had taken a shining to James' widow and as such Bill thought he knew the Widow well. But, her acquaintance with Black had taken him for a loop. Well if their conversation was anything to go by they had been more then acquaintances. Friends possibly? All he knew was that they were definitely estranged now.

His confusion must have been evident on his face because Dumbledore put a kind hand on his shoulder.

"War has a nasty habit of turning the greatest of friends into the worst enemies. I'm sure Sirius will explain later. Please do not judge Lily and Remus too harshly. War is a messy business."

"AND YET YOU STILL SEE ME AS THE ENEMY!" Black hollered as he pushed to door open. The dark-haired wizard gave Bill a pointed look letting him know to follow.

"Sirius please, can we just talk about this," said the frail-looking sandy blond haired wizard.

"What's there left to talk about, Lupin" Black said in a cold voice.

"Much. We are all painfully aware of how much you suffered during the war Sirius. Your lack of faith in us is understandable. However, we need your assurance that you will allow us to deal with these developments as we see fit" Dumbledore stated in a voice that Bill assumed brokered no argument. Black, on the other hand, wasn't so convinced.

"You said it yourself Albus, I have no reason to trust any of you. You sit here with your master plan that you never fully reveal to anyone. And they would follow you blindly into the firing line. And him, I don't even know who the hell he is!" Black said gesturing at the Asian wizard.

"Nor do I care" Black snapped as the wizard opened his mouth to speak.

"For Harry then! You claim to care about Harry. Keeping our hands close to our chests protects Harry" stated Mrs. Potter finally emerging from the office. She had obviously been crying and the whole situation was making Bill decidedly uncomfortable.

Bill could practically see the gears in Black's brain working as he tried and failed to come up with a suitable response.

"Fine, for Harry then" Black finally said.

"Thank you" Mrs. Potter responded quietly.

"Let's go Bill," Black said coldly.

Bill's mind was reeling as he was led out of the castle and back down the passageway. He was so deep in thought that he barely registered the hand on his shoulder as Black apparated them back to Grimmauld Place.

"So, that's it then? We are just going to let The Order handle it?" Bill could hear the accusation in his own voice and wasn't even sure why.

"Don't be ridiculous! I have no plans of sitting around waiting for The Order to save us. We are going to save us!" said Black.

"We…?"

"If you're up to it of course?"

"Where do I sign up?" Bill replied before he had even really registered what was going on.

"Right here. Welcome to Black Inc. Mr. Weasley" Black said sliding an employment form over to him.

* * *

Lily collapsed onto a chair in the Headmaster's office. She placed her head in her hands and attempted to bring her emotions under control.

"I'm sorry you got put in the middle of that, Harold. It isn't you, it's us" she heard Remus say.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking" came the wizard's reply.

"War happened. We became aware that there was a spy within the Order's inner circle. You know of the Blacks' reputation. I am ashamed that we allowed prejudice to rule our minds within the paranoia that sets in during the war. Sirius was the only one in the Order who I believed had more to gain from turning to Voldemort then he did to lose. The majority of his family had already sided with Voldemort" said Dumbledore.

"I originally approached James Potter with my concerns, but James refused to hear me out. He had complete faith in his friend. Convinced of my own insight I approached Lily and Remus. They had concerns of their own and confronted Sirius."

"He didn't take it well as you can imagine, but eventually agreed to leave the Order. It wasn't until James' death that we realized we'd been wrong and that Peter Pettigrew had been the spy all along" Remus added.

"That's not exactly true" Lily heard herself say before she could stop herself.

"What?" asked Remus clearly shocked.

"James figured it out about two weeks before he died. Albus suggested we used the knowledge to our advantage. Albus correctly predicted that Voldemort would go after Harry, so we asked Peter to be our Secret Keeper. When he inevitably betrayed us to Voldemort the house in Godric's Hollow had been stocked full of muggle explosives. We rigged it so when he entered the house would explode taking him with it. But, something went wrong. The explosives were never triggered. James… stupid, selfless, brave Jame ran into the house to ensure the end of Voldemort" she sobbed.

"A muggle explosion? I assumed it was magical. How on earth did Voldemort survive that?" Remus asked looking directly at Dumbledore.

"I have a theory. But, that is neither of your concern. Harry is the one destined to defeat Voldemort. When the time comes I will tell Harry what he needs to know"

"Harry is nine! Voldemort is plotting to come back now!" Lily said finally raising her heard.

"And we will hold the fort until Harry is ready. I know this is hard for the two of you to hear. But this is the way it must be."

Alarm bells were going off in Lily's head. Was Dumbledore really suggesting that they place the fate of the wizarding world on the shoulders of a child?

"But, surely it would be better for us to deal with this sooner rather than later?" Remus asked tentatively. Dumbledore had done a lot for Remus and Lily knew it took a great deal of effort for him to question their old Headmaster.

"There is a special type of magic at work here. You two have lost much and yet you continue to put your faith in my judgment even when you disagree. I must ask the two of you to do it again."

"Maybe Sirius has a point. All this secrecy, all these backdoor dealings, relying on an obscure branch of magic to save us didn't help us last time. So many deaths and what did we really accomplish? A few years of peace only to have it all dragged up again. Sirius is Lord Black now with the money and the connections to back him up. Perhaps it would be wise to bring the war into the light instead of hiding it in the shadows" Remus said quietly looking as heartbroken as Lily felt.

"Voldemort is not back yet. I see no reason to spread mass panic before there is anything to panic about. When Voldemort succeeds in regaining his power, we will let the public know. For now, secrecy gives up the upper hand" replied the elderly wizard.

"Even then it couldn't hurt to bring Sirius in. We were wrong he wasn't the traitor. I don't see how having more allies could hurt our cause."

"I know Mr. Black and you were once close, Remus. It is not his allegiances I question anymore. But, Sirius has always been a bit of a wildcard. It was never I, he swore his allegiance too."

"James," Lily said quietly.

"Exactly. Without James to temper him Sirius is a bigger liability then he would be an ally. It is not his motivations I question, just his ability to follow orders. At this point, we need absolute secrecy. The last thing we need is Voldemort to know we are on to him."

"So, what's your plan?" Bill asked gazing at Black across the table.

"You were Quidditch Captain, what did you tell your team when faced with a physically large opponent?"

"How do you know that?"

"I make it my business to know everything about my employees. Answer the question."

"The best defense is a good offense?"

"Exactly. Dumbledore has a tendency to allow his enemies to make the first move. He knew Voldemort when he was younger, and knowing him he suspected what he'd become long before it happened. We can't afford to wait until Voldemort is all powerful again to start dealing blows. The only problem is we can't let anyone know what we are doing. Not the Order, not the public and certainly not Voldemort."

"We could cut off his resources!" Bill blurted out his sudden epiphany and immediately regretted it as Black looked at him expectantly.

"What do you mean"

"During the Goblin Rebellion in 1612. The goblins cut off all access to Gringotts. Without access to funds, the Ministry was severely weakened. They would have lost had they not decided on Diplomacy"

"So, you're suggesting that I go after Voldemort's allies politically," Black said looking thoughtful. "It isn't a bad idea, we could use Black Inc. as a cover. Pretend that all acquisitions are business related."

"Exactly!" Bill said exclaimed feeling a rush of excitement at Black's approval.

"The question is who do we go after first? Peter's in hiding and I doubt he has much to offer Voldemort besides his allegiance. Malfoy's a heavy hitter. Getting to him would be a devastating blow but he's also one of the few who actually has enough resources and political clout to fight me."

"What about Mrs. Zabini? The Zabini's were considered neutral, but Mrs. Zabini was a Rosier and there were rumors about an affair between her and Rabastan Lestrange. It has been speculated that she was funneling money into the cause."

"She's a good candidate, but she has no business ventures. What would be my reason for even going after her?"

"Approach her as an investor. She's filthy rich."

"Filthy rich after the unexplained deaths of four husbands," Black said raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly! You wouldn't even have to sell her on a good investment. One look at you and she'll be all over it." Bill said clamping his hand over his mouth at the implications of what he just said.

"Mr. Weasley, are you suggesting you think I'm attractive?" Sirius said with a teasing smile.

"I mean … I mean you're wealthy and titled. Your the perfect target for her next dead husband." he stuttered blushing as red as his hair.

"You want me to pursue a woman who's believed to have killed all of her husbands?"

"You just have to keep her interested. As long as you don't marry her she can't profit off of your death."

"You're conniving Bill. I think you and I are going to get along very well" Black said flashing him his most roguish grin.

* * *

Lily was still on edge by the time she and Remus had reached home.

"Can I ask you a question, Lily?" Remus asked quietly eyes determinedly looking at his feet.

"Of course" she replied.

"Are you, are you comfortable with this? Dumbledore's plan I mean?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous. But, Dumbledore knows things we don't. I have to trust his judgment."

"The last time you trusted his judgment James ended up dead. Don't get me wrong Lily, I owe the man a lot and it pains me to question him. I don't believe he's acting with malicious intent, but he's only human Lily. He's not infallible."

"How could you say that Remus! How many lives were saved because of him"

"And how many lives were lost. That stunt with Peter was lunacy. So, many things could have gone wrong. It was a suicide mission. You can't tell me that part of you doesn't blame him a little for James? And by the sounds of it, he's ready to use Harry as another pawn."

"James was an adult who knew what he was getting in to. I can't believe Dumbledore would use a child like that" Lily said with conviction she didn't really believe.

"Are you sure about that, Lily. Because I'm not. I keep playing his end of year speeches over and over in my head. As a kid, they made me feel inspired. Like I could make a difference like the war rested on my shoulders. I look at Harry, and I don't want him to ever feel like that. I don't want him to go what we went through. I want him more than ever to live in a world where he feels safe."

Lily let Remus' words wash over her. She did remember those speeches. She did remember how those speeches had led her and everyone she loved to the Order's doorstep begging to be allowed to fight at eighteen years old. She remembers the sideways looks they had received from older members. At the time she had felt insulted, but now. Now she can't help but wish someone had told them to go home and let the adults do the fighting.

"What do we do then?" she said feeling completely and utterly lost.

"James would want us to go to Sirius," Remus said quietly.

"Sirius hates us," Lily said dejectedly.

"After everything that's happened. The one thing I know without a shadow of a doubt is Sirius loved James. He won't turn Harry away. He couldn't if he tried.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"Mom, someones at the door"

Lily slowly opened her sleep-ridden eyes to look at her nine-year-old son.

"Who is it?" she asked unable to hide the annoyance at being woken up.

"He won't say. He's got long dark hair" Harry replied.

Lily's first thought was Sirius but Harry quickly put that idea to rest.

"Uncle Remus doesn't seem to like him very much"

Lily groaned as it dawned on her just who had come to her house.

"I'll be there in a minute. Why don't you and Uncle Remus take a ride to the store and pick-up some more milk? We can have pancakes when you get back" she said pulling on a dressing gown and heading to the washroom. As expected the mention of pancakes had Harry barreling down the hallway.

Lily took her sweet time getting ready, this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. She turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face, giving herself a second to mentally prepare. She didn't care what Albus said, Severus had made his choices. He had willingly taken the Dark Mark and it was only when faced with her death that he started to reconsider. If Voldemort hadn't chosen to target Harry, the man would be locked up in Azkaban with the other Death Eaters right now.

"What do you want, Severus?" she said making her way into the kitchen.

"Dumbledore, seems to think you may be having second thoughts…" replied the dark-haired man. Lily didn't think she had ever seen him look so uneasy.

"And he thought sending you would be the best way to persuade me into allowing my son to be used as a chess piece" she snarled.

"He will be given the greatest protection imaginable. Do you honestly believe I would allow your child to come to harm"

"Honestly? I have no idea what you'd do. Dumbledore may be willing to trust you again, but I am not!"

"I…"

"If you are just here to try to sell me on Albus' plan you can leave, right now," she said coldly.

"I would never allow your child to come to harm. Whatever you may think of me, I could never do that. I could never harm you."

"The child's name is Harry" she snapped.

"As soon as I knew his intentions I…"

"I'm not arguing this with you, Severus. I will be forever grateful to you for saving my son, but this doesn't change anything. How can I trust somebody who willingly went along with a madman bent on eradicating people just like me? Yes, you came over to our side. But, not because it was the right thing to do. Not because you couldn't stomach what he was doing. But, because Voldemort threatened something you care about. Had your precious Lord focussed on Neville Longbottom instead of Harry, you'd still be at his side torturing muggle-borns."

"I.."

"Tell Dumbledore that my decision is made. I refuse to allow the fate of the Wizarding World to be rested on the shoulders of a nine-year-old. Goodbye, Severus"

"Goodbye, Lily," he said turning towards the fireplace. A quick murmur and he was gone in a flash of green flames.

"Are you okay?" came Remus' voice knocking Lily out of her thoughts.

"Not really," she said honestly as Remus wrapped his arms around her.

"When did everything get so messed-up?" she murmured into his chest.

"After graduation. Everything started going wrong after we graduated."

"We had some good years though" she sniffed.

"We did and we will have them again"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have to believe. I have to believe that there is some sort of light at the end of this tunnel. I refuse to believe it was all for nothing."

"Do you really think Sirius will help us?"

"Of that, I have no doubt."

* * *

Meanwhile in London, Sirius Black awoke to the sound of Kreacher slamming something on top of the desk.

"Do you really have to do that?" he groaned eyeing the elf with distaste.

"Kreacher apologizes for waking Master at the unholy hour of 10:30 in the morning" the elf glared back.

"Shit"

"Oh! Now Master realizes that he has an appointment in an hour" the elf stared at him smugly.

"I really hate you, you know," Sirius said standing up and stretching.

He quickly made his way into the bathroom turning on the shower. He looked into the mirror running a hand over his unshaven face. He didn't want to do this, but Bill was right Zabini was their best option right now. The witch was notorious for her beauty and her charm. If he got her on his side others would follow. Contrary to popular belief Sirius didn't make a habit out of womanizing. He had the occasional fling, but he had been open and honest about his intentions from the beginning. He never led partners on. Most of his "relationships" if you could call them that, had ended amicably. The only one that hadn't had been because he had gotten to attached. And even then their parting hadn't been messy. Part of him felt really sleazy for even considering this. But, Bill was right it was the best course of action and he had a feeling she was planning to use him just as much.

He hopped into the shower and got ready as quickly as he could. He was meeting Mrs. Zabini at Estelle's a very expensive restaurant on the South Side of Diagon Alley that was frequented by Wizarding Britain's rich and famous. He apparated into the restaurant just in time to see the Maître d' pulling out a chair for Mrs. Zabini. Sirius took a deep breath and put on his most charming smile.

" Mrs. Zabini so pleased you could join me this evening," he said sliding smoothly into the chair opposite her.

"The pleasure is all mine. But, please call me Katherine" she said with a bright smile clearly eyeing him up and down. She really was beautiful, striking even.

"Katherine then," he said meeting her eyes.

"So you have a business proposition for me?" she said dark eyes boring into him.

"I do. Black Inc. Wants to take things to the next level. We want to build a line of flying motor vehicles. The research is done we have working prototypes. I've had a flying motorcycle for years, but it turns out cars are a little more difficult. The spells all work the same, but for some reasons, cars are a little trickier. They become almost, sentient. We need some funds to push it over the edge."

"Are you even sure these flying vehicles will catch on? I can't see too many Purebloods wanting to be seen in some muggle contraption even if it can fly" she said eyeing him shrewdly. He could see the spark of intrigue in her eyes though.

"That is what everyone said about the lightbulb. While wizards have been perpetually stuck in the 16th century, muggles have been innovating. Yes, Floo Powder, portkeys and broomsticks work just fine but you can't deny they just aren't as practical. Travel for families with more than one kid is a nightmare whether by floo of by broomstick. The Daily Prophet reports every other week of some kid ending up someplace they shouldn't. Flying cars allows people transportation in large groups in significantly more comfort then say a portkey and more shelter from the weather then a broom."

"Aren't you rather wealthy yourself, Mr. Black? Why do you need me?"

"Please call me Sirius. Unfortunately, I've spent all my disposable income on this project already. I have a ton of money in assets, but not a whole lot I can spend on a random project these days. But, I'm telling you this will make you a fortune."

"More passion than sense, I see," she said holding his gaze.

"Nothing is worth doing unless you are willing to risk it all"

"How much are you looking for?"

"Five million galleons. I know it's a lot of money. But, I'm willing to offer 25% of all profits. You will make it back in no time at all, plus more. You will also, of course, get the very first working model." he said placing his hand on the table.

"I can't say I'm not intrigued. But, I'm not willing to lose everything. Do you have a business plan you can show me?" she said mimicking his movement and placing her hand next to his. He had her.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Bill was dead tired as we walked into his parents' house.

"Bill Weasley! Where on earth have you been? We don't hear from you for over a week and when I contact the school they tell me you've withdrawn!" his mother, Molly shrieked.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It's been a really busy couple of days, I meant to tell you. I got a job actually. The wage is way more then I'd ever make as a curse breaker."

"Where?" his mother said with narrowed eyes.

"Black Inc.," he replied quietly.

"Black Inc.! You've spent your entire life working to be a Curse Breaker only to run off and join up with that… that playboy!"

"Mom, Black Inc. is one of the most successful Wizarding companies ever. People would kill for the opportunity."

"What's going on in here?" Arthur said strolling into the kitchen red hair in a mess from just waking up.

"Your son has thrown away years of work to go work for Black Inc."

"Have you really? Doing what? That's amazing Bill, Congratulations!" Arthur Weasley said barely able to contain his excitement. His father was an even bigger fan of Sirius' then he was.

"Congratulations! Sirius Black is a notorious scoundrel. And you're celebrating your son throwing his lot in with him."

"Be reasonable Molly. I can guarantee half of what the Daily Prophet writes about him is untrue and you can't deny the success of Black Inc. Say what you want about the man, but he is very good at what he does."

"What about Lily! She's our friend and you know there's bad blood there!"

"I like Lily as much as you do Molly, but we both know Black wasn't the one in the wrong in that situation. Bill can't pass up an opportunity like this just because it may make your afternoon tea awkward. I'm sure Lily won't be angry."

"I can't believe the two of you!" Molly said in a huff turning around an leaving the kitchen.

"Don't worry about your mother. She'll come around. She's just … protective of Mrs. Potter. I can understand the woman has been through a lot. But, from everything I've gathered it was just a falling out related to the stresses of war. It happened a lot back then. Nothing to worry about" Arthur said placing his hand on his son's shoulder.

"I really am very proud of you!"

"Thanks, Dad," Bill said ducking his head.

"Would you… would you like to meet Black sometime? I think you would really like him."

"Of course I would. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I think I can."

Arthur beamed at him and nodded.

"I have to get back, I just wanted to grab some clothes. Everything I had at school is pretty casual."

"Alright, have fun. Do come home for Sunday dinner, though. Your mother might throw a fit and blow-up Black Inc. if you don't."

"I will!" Bill said taking off towards his room.

* * *

"Are you sure he's here?" Lily said as her Harry and Remus stood in front of a large imposing house.

"According to the Prophet he always stays at the Black Ancestral home while staying in London."

"Stalking him, are we?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow. Remus ignored the tease opting instead to give her a slight push forward.

"Who lives here?" Harry asked.

"Your Godfather" Lily replied with a tight smile.

"I have a Godfather?" Harry asked looking puzzled.

"It's a long story, Harry. He was your father's best friend, and we need his help."

Remus took a deep breath and knocked on the snake-shaped door knocker. The Blacks' were anything but subtle. The door swung open immediately to reveal a rather old looking House Elf.

"Who comes calling on the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black" the elf croaked.

"I'm Remus Lupin, this is Lily and Harry Potter. We need to speak with Sirius immediately."

"Master is in a …. meeting. Kreacher must ask the Halfbreed and Mudblood to come back later" the elf tried to close the door but Remus blocked him.

"It really is urgent. We can wait for him outside of his office"

"Master does not want to see either of you," the elf said with a glare.

"He will want to see Harry, though. His Godson."

The elf seemed to ponder this for a moment and Lily swore for a second she saw a gleam in the elf's eye.

"Of course right this way. Master is having a meeting in his study. You can wait outside."

They followed the elf through the rather foreboding looking house.

"Rather dark isn't it?" Lily whispered quietly to Remus as she felt Harry press into her side slightly. The nine-year-old was clearly intimidated but the house-elf heads mounted on the wall.

"The Black's were a rather dark family."

"Why didn't Sirius change it?"

"He doesn't live here most of the time. He probably couldn't be bothered listening to the fuss Kreacher would put if he tried to change anything."

"Kreacher?"

"The family House Elf, pleasant isn't he?" Remus asked with a dark smile.

"All sunshine and daisies that one."

"He was completely devoted to Sirius' mother. Sirius used to tell the story that his father caught the elf trying to drown him when he was a baby. Jealous apparently."

"Is that true?" Lily asked shocked.

"I have no idea. Occasionally Sirius did dramatize his family for shocking effect, but the worst of his stories almost always ended up being true. From what I understand the elf was fond of his brother, though. Maybe he got over it by the time Regulus had come around, but I honestly have no idea."

"Master should be out shortly" Kreacher stated abruptly as the reached the end of the hallway.

"Aren't you going to tell him we are here?" Lily asked.

"Master said not to be disturbed. His old friends will be a nice surprise."

"Why do I feel like he's up to something?" Lily asked glaring at the elf's back.

"He's just generally creepy it's probably nothing," Remus said as the door swung up.

Out walked a very disheveled looking Sirius Black and a woman Lily didn't recognize. It took her a few seconds for everything to click but when the woman shamelessly zipped up the last bit of dress Lily felt herself go a deep shade of red. Clearly, this hadn't been a business meeting.

"Oh my god. I'm… so sorry. Ah, your house-elf said you were in a meeting" Lily said taking a glance over at Remus to see him looking as mortified as she felt.

"Yes, we are. Lily Potter, Remus Lupin meet Katherine Zabini she's possibly funding my latest project."

The woman gave them a smug nod as Sirius helped her with her coat.

"I'm intrigued Sirius, I'll give you that. I have to go over the numbers but I will let you know soon."

"Great, I'm meeting with Crouch tomorrow and you know how cheap he is"

"There's competition?"

"Always, you know that," he said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I guess it's a good thing I have a tendency to win," she said locking eyes with Lily.

"I'm not even going to ask," Lily said rolling her eyes as soon as the door closed.

"Good. I don't plan on explaining" Sirius said gesturing for them to follow him.

"Madame Zabini! Really, Sirius? She's had what is it five dead husbands now!" said Remus.

"Good thing I don't plan on marrying her then," Sirius said collapsing onto a couch in a dimly lit parlor. "Is that Harry?" Sirius asked finally noticing the boy hiding behind Lily.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet Sirius Black your godfather," Lily said pushing the child to stand in front of the man.

"God, you look like James," Sirius said words clearly escaping him.

"Hello," Harry said tentatively holding out his hand to the man. She felt a swell of pride, at that. Sirius had always been great with children, but at first glance, he could be pretty intimidating. He was tall, with broad shoulders and cut an imposing figure to a nine-year-old child.

"I don't even know what to say," Sirius said eyes full of emotion but as soon as the flicked back up to Lily they were as hard as steel. "What are you doing here?"

"You were right, Dumbledore means well but I won't stand for my child being played like a chess piece. I know you have no reason to want to help me. But, I know you still care for Harry."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But, whatever you think of me Sirius, you know I would do anything for my child" Lily said holding his piercing gaze.

"Welcome to Black Inc."

* * *

A/n: Sorry to all the Snape fans who feel like Lily and Snape should kiss and make-up. Snape has a lot of growing up to do before they can even be friends again. They are two completely different people now, maybe in another life with other choices they could be romantically linked but not here. Snape is going to be a part of this story but I'm giving you a preemptive warning here I refuse to write off Snape's action as a Death Eater because he was bullied. He was an adult when he made his choices and he doesn't get a clean slate just because he was capable of loving someone. Lots of bad people fall in love. As a side note, the scenes between Mrs. Zabini and Sirius as well as the scene outside of the study are tweaked versions of scenes in CBS' Salvation they aren't verbatim but I think there is enough similarity to give credit where credit is do. If you think I'm JKR and I'm claiming ownership to any of this you are delusional.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"Thank you, Sirius" Lily said quietly relief washing over her.

"Don't thank me just yet, Lily. This isn't going down like last time. If you expect me to put my reputation and business on the line going up against Dumbledore, I'm going to need your explicit trust."

"Trust is a two way street, Sirius" Lily said immediately regretting coming here.

"Yes, but I am not the one who came to you am I?"

"Still a pompous ass, I see"

"Call me all the names you wish, Lily. I'm doing this for Harry, not you."

"Guys! Harry is still here!" said Remus sharply while Lily bit back her retort.

"You guys should probably run back to your places and pack your bags. I'll take Harry and get him set up at Black Inc. Headquarters."

"Why would we need to pack our bags?" Lily asked.

"First rule of business, protect your assets. You've been living in relative peace for too long, your vulnerable there. If we are going to do this, I need all the key people under one roof. My roof."

"Alright, but I'd really prefer…" Lily trailed off as Remus put a firm hand on her shoulder. His message was clear, let him go.

"Great see you in a few hours" Sirius said clearly dismissing them.

Lily followed Remus out, throwing one last tentative glance at Harry. Once they were outside of the house Lily whirled on her old friend.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"Leaving Harry with Sirius? Of course you don't really think that he'd…, do you?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It isn't Harry's safety that I'm worried about. It's his emotional wellbeing" Lily said waspishly.

"Sirius isn't going to turn Harry against you, he wouldn't do that."

"You don't know him anymore, Remus. He's always had a cruel streak, and that man back there has more in common with Lord Black then he does the boy you knew."

"Ah yes I could totally see Orion Black starting a company combining magic with muggle tech. Totally plausible. You never really were good at reading his moods. He falls into old patterns when he's nervous. The Blacks raised their children in a very militant fashion, that never really goes away."

"If he tells Harry what he knows about James' death, they will both have questions I'm not prepared to answer."

"He won't. That isn't how he operates. If he talks to Harry about James it will be about the happy times and how much he meant to him."

"Okay" Lily breathed out grabbing Remus' hand as they apparated to her living room. Remus began throwing his few belongings into his suitcase, as Lily walked to the cupboard to grab her's and Harry's. She couldn't believe this was happening again. Nine years later and she was going back into hiding, only this time it was from Dumbledore.

She let out a deep breath and began packing everything she could in the two small suitcases. She didn't want to take too much just in case someone came to check on the house.

* * *

Sirius ran a hand over his face looking down at the nine year old he had now been left alone with. He may not have thought this through.

"What do you say we head over to my place?" Sirius asked trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Don't you live here?"

"Nah, this was my parents house. To be honest I don't like spending anymore time here then I have to."

"Oh good, no offence but this place is kind of creepy" said Harry before immediately regretting his words and blushing red. Sirius on the other hand let out a bark like laugh.

"You and me are going to get along great" Sirius said before offering his hand to the child."Have you ever side-alonged before?"

"Yes, Mr. Black" Harry said taking Sirius' hand.

"You can call me Sirius, kid" Sirius said with a wink before the two of them disappeared with a pop.

They reappeared moments later in front of a large building with big block letters spelling out Black across the side.

"You live here!" Harry gasped.

"Well technically, I live on the very top floor" Sirius said with a chuckle. "Come on in."

Harry practically bounced on his way into the building.

"Welcome back, Boss" Sirius heard Gladys say from the front desk.

"Gladys! I would like to introduce you to Harry Potter. He, his mother and Remus Lupin will be staying with us for a while. I will need them keyed into all the wards, with the exception of the lab, and the shop."

"No problem, sir."

"Your the best, come on Harry lets go pick out your room." Sirius said leading the nine year old towards the lift.

"You live here!" Harry exclaimed when they reached the penthouse on the top floor.

"I call it The Shack" Sirius says knowing full well the irony of calling a penthouse flat a shack.

" The room at the very end of the hallway is mine. Other then that you can have any room you wish."

"Maybe, I should let Mom and Uncle Remus pick out a room first?" the boy asked tentatively.

Sirius couldn't help the jealousy bubbling up in his stomach at the term of endearment the child used towards his ex-friend. He took a deep breath to reign it in before answering the boy.

"Normally that would be a good idea. But, in my house, I make the rules and I say you can have any room you want" Sirius said with a wink.

"Really?"

"Absolutely" Sirius confirmed as he watched the child go speeding off.

Having thoroughly examined every room Harry had decided on the room to Sirius' left. Sirius couldn't help the pleasurable squirm in his stomach when Harry announced his intentions.

"I have a bit of work to do. So, what do you say I call Bill Weasley up here to give you the grand tour?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically. He had known Bill for years and thought the older boy was the height of cool.

"Great, M.A.R.L.S. please tell Bill to come up to the Shack" Sirius said to thin air. He saw Harry look around trying to see who he was talking to.

"My pleasure, Sirius" said a disembodied voice.

"M.A.R.L.S is the name of my super computer. She is my pride and joy. Black Industries couldn't run without her." Sirius said by way of explanation.

"She's programmed to look for patterns which might not be apparent to the human eye. She's responsible for a great deal of my break-throughs."

"Wow!" Harry said with wide-eyes.

A loud ding alerted the pair to the lift opening. Bill strolled out with messy hair and a wide grin.

"You called, Boss?"

"Yes, I have a few meetings to get to. I was wondering if you could give Harry the grand tour. He's going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future."

Sirius could see Bill's face fall at being regulated to a glorified baby-sitter.

"I know you are very busy in the lab, but you are the only person I trust with this" Sirius said. It was true. Sirius adored Gladys, and carefully vetted all of his employees but Harry was different. After losing James, Sirius would be damned if he ever let anyone so much as touch a hair on that boy's head. Bill reminded Sirius of himself when he was younger. The drive, the determination, the desire to do good in the world, and most importantly the loyalty. There wasn't anyone he'd trust more with the boy.

"Absolutely!" Bill said beaming at the praise.

"Great, I have a meeting with the board in five minute and really do need to run."

Bill gazed down at the nine year old in front of him. The logical part of him knew that this was an honour. Sirius trusting him with his godson had to mean something right? But, the other part of him was rather put out at being torn away from the real work to babysit.

"How's it going, Harry?" he asked awkwardly.

"This place is soooo cool. I can't believe Sirius actually lives here!"

" It's pretty cool, hey? Why don't I take you down to the lab and show you what really goes on at Black Inc."

Bill was sure he had never seen a child so excited in his life. Considering how many siblings he had that was an accomplishment.

"Would you like to see the lab or the shop first?"

"The shop!" the nine year old said without a moment of hesitation.

Bill motioned for the boy to follow him into the lift.

"Okay, Harry the shop has a lot of really dangerous tools. You have to promise me that you won't touch anything" Bill said as sternly as he could muster.

"I promise"

Bill watched as the boy's green eyes lit up at all the projects going on in shop. He seemed particularly interested in the flying cars.

"Why are the cars in pieces?" he asked.

"Cars are complex and the spells we were using to get them to fly aren't reacting the way we want. So, we've taken the cars apart to study how the spell interacts with each individual part."

"That's so cool. What's going on over there?" He pointed to the back of the room where various witches and wizards were gathered over parchment paper that was producing multi colored sparks.

"They're spell mapping. It might not look as cool as the tech portions but those witches and wizards are responsible for every success that Black Industries has ever had"

"What is spell mapping?"

"It's a little complex. I'm sure if you ask Sirius he will be able to give you a demonstration later. Why don't we continue on with our tour."

"Okay, where next?"

"How about the lab?"

And off they went by the time Bill had shown Harry around the entire compound he was pretty relieved to see that Mrs. Potter had returned with her friend.

"How was your day?" Mrs. Potter asked giving her son a warm hug.

"It was so cool! Sirius took me up to his house and let me pick-out my room, then Bill gave me the grand tour."

"Sounds like you had a very interesting day. Thank you for watching him Bill" Mrs. Potter smiled warmly at him.

"No problem, Mrs. Potter"

"You're a grownup now, Bill you can call me Lily."

"And I don't believe we have been properly introduced, I'm Remus" said the pale looking wizard.

"Nice to meet you" Bill said shaking the man's hand. "Sirius is going to be in board meetings for the next few hours. I can take you up to The Shack if you like."

"The Shack?" asked Remus sharing a look with Lily that Bill didn't get.

"It's what Sirius calls his penthouse. I don't get it either" Bill shrugged.

"Sure" Lily said with a smile.

"Great follow me. Gladys had you keyed into all the wards with the exception of the shop and the lab. You are free to move about the compound anywhere else you wish. The lab and the shop can be pretty volatile you don't want to be wandering in there unannounced anyway." Bill explained as they boarded the lift.

"You can have your pick of rooms except for the one at the very end of the hall, that's Sirius'."

"And the one to the right of it is mine!" Harry interjected.

"The kitchen is fully stocked help yourself to anything you wish. If you need anything just call for M.A.R.L.S. Anything she can't help with Gladys will be able to."

"Marls? Interesting name for a house elf" Lily remarked.

"There are no house elves at Black Industries. M.A.R.L.S is our AI system. It stands for Magical Algorithm Research and Learning System, or something like that. She's the only system of her kind and is specifically designed to study patterns in magic, but she can do a whole lot more than that.

"Impressive" Remus let out a low whistle.

"Anyway I should get back to work. Sirius said you should make yourself at home."

"Okay, thank you Bill."

Bill waved good bye and the Potters and Remus Lupin were left alone.


End file.
